Growing Up: Mother's Day
by hunnyfresh
Summary: Growing Up Series: Four-year old Henry has a Mother's Day surprise for Regina.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters**

**AN: Happy Mother's Day! To everyone who is/has a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a lady in their life who has been their mother-like figure or has someone watching down on them, this one is for you. It's the little things that we do for our special person that makes everything better. **

* * *

"Mama?" Henry asked peering into his mother's study.

Regina automatically looked up, smiling at the little four-year old head poking out from behind the door. "Yes, dear?"

"Can we go to the park?" He asked timidly.

Regina looked to her computer and the many files strewn about her desk. Despite it being a Saturday, the Mayor was swamped with work. "Can you give me thirty minutes to finish up?"

The boy beamed and nodded.

True to her word, Regina powered down her work and grabbed one of her larger purses and filled it with juice, snacks, and sunblock. She grinned when she spotted Henry sitting on the last step of the stairs, his own backpack already on his back and a slightly too big baseball cap on his head. She would have made a point at waiting for him to wear the hat until he filled out, but it was his favourite super hero, and she couldn't help but think he looked adorable in it.

"Ready?" She asked and extended a hand.

He jumped up and grabbed her hand, tugging her towards the door.

She laughed as she closed the door behind them and locked it. "What's with the knapsack, mister?"

"It has my stuff."

"Oh?" Regina raised an eyebrow taking his hand and leading him towards the playground behind his school. The May weather was promising, and they could use the fresh air. "What sort of stuff?"

"Secret stuff."

Regina's need to know everything peaked her curiosity, but her son grinned up at her with a toothy smile. The look alone allowed her to let him keep his secret.

When they got to an intersection, Sidney called out to them from across the street. "Madame Mayor!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and watched as the man sprinted across the street, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car.

"Madame Mayor," Sidney panted out as he reached the brunette and her son.

She looked down to see Henry kicking at some dandelions with his shoe before going into his backpack to pull out a batmobile and began running it up and down the sidewalk.

"What?" She glared at the reporter. "Can't you see I'm spending the afternoon with my son?"

"Yes, yes I see that," he rambled away. "I was just wondering if you had given some thought to the interview piece I was telling you about. You know, get to know Storybrooke's Mayor."

Regina scowled. "If I had given it thought don't you think I would have contacted you?"

"I- yes of course."

"And why on earth would I reveal intimate details about myself when you know I like my privacy. Does that sound like something I want to partake in?" Regina questioned.

Sidney stammered before Regina glanced back down to Henry who was firmly shutting his bag. "Let's go, sweetie."

Henry stood up and took his mother's hand waving innocently at Mr. Glass.

The rest of their walk was met with no interruptions, and as soon as the playground was in sight, blessedly empty, Henry ran off heading straight for the tunnel.

"Stay in sight!" She called after him before taking a seat on a bench. She watched him play happily, sometimes craning her neck when she lost visual, but she was always able to see the bob of his oversized hat through the playground bars.

She opened her purse to pull out a novel she had been reading sporadically and began to thumb through the pages. Looking up to make sure Henry was safe, she invested herself within the world of its pages.

Every so often the brunette Mayor would look up to make sure Henry was okay or pause her reading when the boy would run up to her and ask for a sip of his juice. It was when she was ten pages in did she realize she couldn't hear or see Henry.

Her heart beat rapidly, thumping hard against her rib cage. She shot up, dropping the book on the bench. "Henry?"

No reply came.

The brunette was already beginning to panic, evident by the fact that she stepped into the sand of the playground thereby ruining her Manolo Blahniks. "Henry!"

She picked up her speed to a jog, but when she rounded the slide and monkey bar set, Henry was nowhere in sight. "Henry!"

She turned frantically, her pulse quickening when she saw the little boy by the shade of trees, his back to her as he quickly shut his backpack tight. She raced to him and crouched to the ground, her hand clutching his arm in relief. "Where were you? I told you to stay in sight."

"Sorry, mama," the boy apologized, jutting out his bottom lip. He held up his batmobile and Thomas the tank engine as a peace offering.

She hugged him close to her chest. "Do not do that again. Are we clear?"

He nodded before taking her hand. "Home?"

She nodded, scooping him up onto her hip intent to keep him close by.

* * *

Regina woke up to a soft weight sitting on her stomach the next morning. The scare from the evening before left the woman with a fitful rest, but the smiling face of the boy sitting on her was enough to ease away the tension. "Good morning, handsome."

"Happy Mother's Day!" He yelled before clinging to her neck and snuggling into her warmth.

She grinned and pecked the top of his head. "Thank you, sweetie."

He sat up, tugging her along with him so that her back was to the headboard. "Close your eyes."

She raised an eyebrow before he tugged on her arm in insistence. "I have a surprise."

Smirking, she shut her eyes, playfully peaking one eye open.

"Mama!" Henry scolded, drawing out the syllables of her title.

She grinned shutting her eyes firmly. She felt his weight disappear only to return with the crackling of paper.

"Ready?" He asked. "One, two, two and a half, three!"

Regina opened her eyes to find Henry back in her lap, his knapsack from yesterday opened and dirty, but with a bouquet of dandelions, already wilting and some with just the stem, nestled in a makeshift ruled paper wrap in his hands. On his lap sat a card with a handprint turkey on it, his choppy writing proclaiming in its multi-colour glory 'To the best Mom ever!'

"Wow," she beamed, taking the taped paper bouquet and bringing the dandelions up to her nose. "These are beautiful."

"I picked them on our walk yesterday and at the park," he puffed up his chest proud. "Aren't they pretty flowers?"

Ah, the purpose of his surprise knapsack.

She grinned, not having the heart to tell her son that they were in fact weeds. "Of course, but you are more handsome."

She picked up the card, grinning at his handprint and his adorable message inside. _I love my mommy_. Regina hugged him tightly to his chest, kissing his forehead, her eyes watering just a little bit. "I love you too, dear."

He giggled before tugging her up and out of bed. "I made breakfast!"

This time Regina's eyebrows shot up worried about the state of her kitchen, but Henry kept tugging.

"I poured cereal and juice and milk all by myself!" He hopped out of her bed and raced for the day. "Come on, Mama."

Regina swung her legs to the floor and couldn't contain her smile at the boy. Gone was her worry about her kitchen. Whatever her son had done, be it a bouquet of weeds, and cereal and milk splattered on her floor, he had done it for her, and that was hardly a thing to get mad at.

* * *

**THE END - I know I usually post in twos, but fair warning that this is the only thing I'm able to post today. Once again, Happy Mother's Day!**


End file.
